A unit (10) for the regulation or control of a fluid pressure, having at least one housing section (13, 14) and a switching film (22) connected to the at least one housing section (13, 14) for switching at pressure differentials relative to an ambient pressure acting on the switching film (22), and for the regulation, release or blocking of a flow of the fluid between an inlet (28) and a discharge (30) for the fluid. The switching film (22) is made out of a polymer material having fluorine and carbon. In this arrangement, a hole cross-section (40) of the at least one housing section (13, 14) is closed off by the switching film (22). A method of forming a fluid-tight connection is also disclosed.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A regulation unit for the regulation or control of a fluid pressure, comprising: a regulator housing having at least a first housing section and a second housing section; a fluid inlet port; a fluid discharge port; a switching film connected to at least one of the housing sections and adapted to switch at pressure differentials of 1 to 250 mbar relative to an ambient pressure acting on the switching film; wherein the switching film is adapted for regulation, release or blocking of a flow of the fluid between the inlet port and the fluid discharge port; wherein the switching film is made out of a polymer material having fluorine and carbon, wherein the first housing section has a first chamber, wherein the second housing section has a second chamber, wherein the first housing section has a hole through which the first chamber opens into the second chamber of the second housing section, the hole having a hole cross-section; wherein the first housing section and the second housing section each have a circumferential mating surface situated radially to the outside and radially surrounding the hole cross-section, wherein the circumferential mating surface of the first housing section and the second housing section each have at least one circumferential groove formed into each of the circumferential mating surfaces, the at least one circumferential grooves positioned radially between and spaced apart from a radially outer circumference of the switching film and the hole cross-section, wherein the switching film is fixedly and fluid-tightly connected to the circumferential mating surface of at least one housing section and closing off the hole cross-section; wherein a radial inner wall of the at least one circumferential groove of the second housing section forms a second circumferential edge projection, projecting outwardly to contact directly against the switching film and support the switching film; wherein a radial inner wall of the at least one circumferential groove of the first housing section forms a first circumferential edge projection spaced apart radially outwardly away from the second circumferential edge projection, the first circumferential edge projection projecting outwardly to directly contact against and support the switching film at a position spaced radially outwardly from where the second circumferential edge projection contacts the switching film; wherein the circumferential edge projections contact and support the switching film when there are axial movements transverse to the hole cross-section.
2. The regulation unit according to claim 1 , wherein wherein a radially outwardly situated joining region of the switching film has at least one connecting element on at least one side facing the circumferential mating surface that is integrally and/or interlockingly connected to at least one of the housing sections.
3. The regulation unit according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the: connecting element, housing section and/or switching film, is formed as a sintered part and/or as a 3D printed part.
4. The regulation unit according to claim 2 , wherein at least two of the: connecting element and/or housing section and/or switching film, are integrally formed.
5. The regulation unit according to claim 2 , wherein the switching film, at least in the region of the joining region, has at least one activated surface directed toward the first chamber of the first housing section.
6. A method of forming a fluid-tight connection of the switching film onto at least one housing section of the regulator housing of the regulation unit according to claim 2 , comprising the steps of: providing the switching film formed from a polymer material having fluorine and carbon, the switching film having a joining region; wherein the joining region of the switching film is situated radially to the outside of the switching film; providing the first housing section having the first chamber, the first chamber surrounded by the circumferential mating surface of the first housing section; providing the second housing section having the second chamber, the second chamber surrounded by the circumferential mating surface of the second housing section; connecting the connecting element to the switching film at the joining region; placing the switching film onto the circumferential mating surface of at least one of the housing sections; integrally and/or interlockingly connecting the first housing section and the second housing section.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein at least one of the: connecting element, first housing section, second housing section, and/or switching film, is formed by a sintering process and/or a 3D printing process.
8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein at least two of the components: connecting element, first housing section, second housing section, and/or switching film, are formed by a one-step process and/or integrally.
9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein prior to the step of placing the switching film, the method further comprises: pretreating the joining region by at least one of the methods: etching, plasma treatment, mechanical grinding, embossing or perforation.
10. The regulation unit according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material having fluorine and carbon is: a polytetrafluoroethylene, or a polytetrafluoroethylene with admixtures, or a thermoplastically processable polytetrafluoroethylene.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
October 31, 2017
November 24, 2020
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.